2. Must study more

This afternoon, we practiced for the Level 3 JLPT. I think this is the
first standardized test I did horribly on. =) Waaah! I got around 50%.
Must must must must study more. Then again, we haven't covered all the
topics we need for the test, so we're not supposed to worry.

I'm now two chapters ahead in the web-based training module, although
I need to retake the last test tomorrow, as my score is lower than I'd
like.

Still no Internet.

Interleaving homework and laundry seems to be a good idea, as I can
leave my clothes to soak for a bit.

1. Orientation for group survey

The biggest purpose of this general orientation course is for you to
have a smooth transition to your technical training. I have listed
three major points. The first one is to develop your Japanese language
ability, then the ability to adapt to life in Japan, and then the
ability to adapt to specialized technical training. The group survey
which I am going to explain today falls into the category of
developing the ability to adapt to specialized technical training. So
through group survey I am hoping that you can develop understanding
about Japanese comanies and to practice your Japanese language ability
in a practical setting. So now I am distributing the outline for the
group survey or group study. I am going to follow this outline to
explain the overall concept of the group survey. Sou first of all, I
would like to tell you what the group survey actually is, and what is
the purpose of this survey. The group survey is actually to decide
topic or theme by discussion, and you actually go out of YKC to
collect various information related to your topic. Based on the
information collected outside YKC, we are expecting you to give a
presentation. So normally the purpose of this group survey is to make
the so-called final product in the form of reports or video or any
other kind. But to make the final product showing the results of your
survey showing the information you collected by yourselves. But this
time, the final product will be the website. The creation of the
website will be the final product of the group survey. Let me give you
four objectives of this group survey. The main objective is to use
Japanese language, which you study in classrooms, outside of
classrooms--outside of YKC, in a practical setting. For your
information, the fieldwork activity, restaurant activity, and kanji
search, are all part of this practice to use Japanese language outside
classrooms. And also through this group survey, you will learn new
Japanese words or experssions which you have not studied in
classrooms. And the third objective is to acquire a deeper knowledge
of the topics that you choose, because you are all IT engineers, so to
deepen understanding of the topic, you can further your ability to
adapt to specialized training by understanding more of the IT through
related information. And through this activity, I hope you can improve
and enhance your ability to collect and organize information. So about
the contents, do you have any questions? Let's move to the spcial
topic selection. Because you are IT engineers, as IT engineers, please
think about topics related to the Japanese software development or IT
trend. In each group, discuss the topic and decide on a topic which is
related to the Japanese software development or IT trend. Based on the
topic, please gather and organize information and make it into a
website explaining the result of your survey. Since you have already
been divided into five groups in the past activities such as fieldwork
and restaurant activities, since five groups have already been
selected, we would like to proceed with this group study according to
these five groups. Let me explain how to proceed with this group
study. Then first of all, please have a good discussion within each
group and decide on a topic. After you have decided on a topic, then
please discuss what kind of approaches you are going to take to pursue
this topic, or what kind of materials must be obtained or can be
obtained. Please have a good discussion about the materials you will
collect. Please set up a schedule for your survey. Then you have to
create / finish the necessary document in Japanese language. And for
your information, as for the information gathering, it should not be
— it does not have to be done in Japanese. It can be through your
native languages or in English. The information in English or your
native languages can be obtained as well. You can also utilize the
lectures or company visit from now on to collect information that you
need. Please use those opportunities to your best advantage.
Transportation expenses which is necessary for your survey will be
provnided by AOTS. As for the digital camera, I understand that each
group has at least one digital camera, so would you please use the
digital camera to take many photographs to take many photos when
you're going outside for information gathering and put those photos on
the website. I would like you to remember one important point. The
important point for you to remember is that for the group survey, use
your Japanese language ability outside. As far as information
gathering is concerned, you could do it in YKC through the Internet,
but we strongly do not recommend that, because this is the opportunity
to speak to people outside YKC. Go to exhibitions, museums, and
interact with the Japanese people so that you can learn the Japanese
language. I'm not saying that the Internet is prohibited, but it is
not recommendable. Please consult with me or Kojima sensei in
selecting the topics and creating the web site. The website which you
will create--that is actually the final product of this group survey
— will be presented at the final day meeting. The Japanese language
meeting together with people from host companies and AOTS staff
attending. This will be a kinda formal occassion where your website
will be presented. We are also considering putting your website into
the AOTS website so that we are going to incorporate your website into
our website. We are not sure if all the websites created by each group
will be put into the AOTS web page or whether only the very excellent
ones will be put on the website, but we are considering incorporating
your website into the AOTS website, so please make a very good effort.
So lastly, let me tell you the schedule of the group survey. Today, on
the 15th, we have given you the explanation of the group survey. On
the 22nd, will have announcement of group plans meetings, where each
group will announce the topic. This will be done on the 22nd. Interim
reports will be done on October 5. So I have given you the exact date
of the interim reports. October 5. Website production #1 will be done
on the 23rd of September. Website production #2 is on October 1
(correct). Preparation for Group Presentations should be "Web site
production #3" and it will be held on October 14. Peresentation
Rehearsal and Group Presentetations will go according to that
schedule. This concludes my explanation of the overall outline of the
group survey. Of course we expect to have very good final products,
but more importantly, we hope that you can develop independent or
autonomous attitude to collecting information, so that you can still
continue to have the forward-looking positive attitude after the
8-week orientation course and after you start specializing in
technical training. I will hand over to Kojima-sensei, and
Kojima-sensei will talk about how you should give the presentation.
How to give a presentation. So on this group survey, the presentation
will be done on each theme of each group. So this is not like the
presentation of the Yokohama fieldwork. This will be a one-topic
presentation. Each member of the group will take turns in presenting
some parts of the total presentation. Please look at the slide. I
would like you to follow this flow or structure in doing your
presentation. First of all, please explain two or three important
keywords. Please explain in Japanese language. After the explanation
of the keywords, then please give us the reason or background why you
chose this topic. The third point is theme setting. This is actually
related to the second point, awareness of the issue. In the secornd
part, please give us the particular reason why you chose this specific
theme. 2 is bigger reason, 3 is a very specific reason. So the theme
setting should be very specific. I would suggest that you make up a
particular question. For example: plasma TV or LCD TV? Which is more
promising in the future? As for the strategy, please explain what kind
of approaches you have taken in order to find out the answer to this
particular theme. Tell me how you tackle the issue. And then comes the
main body, which is actually the presentation of the result of your
survey. Please give the data, based on the info you have collected in
the main body, then use all the data you collected to make a
conclusion. Give a brief summary of this group survey, then please
give us your comments. What particular difficulties you have ecome
across in the group survey, or what is the different point in
comparison to your country's situation. These various comments will be
done by presenter. So the normal presentation will cover this remained
task, ... (Ah, the next step), but in your case, we would like you to
give your comments. For the presentation, I would like each of the
group members to participate. If you are six people in your group,
please take turns.If your group has only four or five people, then one
person will do two elements in this structure, for example. In order
to make my explanation more specific, I came up with one example for
better understanding. I would like to use this example to explan in
further detail. For your information, we have so-called 3 treasures in
the Japanese consumer electronics. Digital camera, DVD player, and big
screen flat panel TV. These are three best-selling products in
Japanese market. Big screen flat panel TVs are divided into two kinds
- liquid crystal display TV and Plasma TV. For the awareness of the
issue. When I go to the consumer electronics store, I find LCD display
next to plasma TV. I was just wondering which one I should buy. My
awareness of the issue is LCD versus plasma TV. Which is more
promising in the future market? This is the question which I became
aware of for this survey.So I have tset the theme. Or specifically I
have set the fquestion. "Which is bright in the future, Liquid crystal
display TV or Plasma TV?" This question is my theme. To find out the
answer of the theme question, we have to think about what kind of
method or approach should be taken. First of all, I will think about
several points to compare. For example, the screen size, price, or
product durability. After selecting the comparison points, I decide to
go on actual research to the consumer electronics stores. Setting the
research points first, I will decide which store in what area I am
going to go to for the research. Of course we cannot go to all the
stories in all the areas, and we cannot research all the points, so
please limit the points and limit the stores so that your research can
be made easier. And in the main body part, you will provide the data
or information that you could collect through the research. For
example, in this particular slide, the screen size is up to 42 inches
for the LCD and the Plasma goes up to 55inch. But for the comparison
of the price, in the case of 42 inch size, the plasma TV is about
100000 yen cheaper (for the 42inch display). And we also can find out
the lifespan of both TVs. For example, the lifespan of the LCD is
60kh, while plasma has only 20kh. The power consumption for example is
60% of the plasma. So it also has less power consumption than plasma.
So these kinds of data can be obtained through your research. Based on
the data in the main body, you will give us the conclusion. I'm not
giving you any conclusion for this example, but you will make your own
conclusion for your research. And then you are going to briefly
summarize the contents of your presentation in a summing up.
Comments. In the comments part, please give us some interesting
experiences which you have gone through during the research or group
survey. One example being, "I had a difficulty asking for the price,
because a lot of stores in Akihabara, every time I speak with sales
staff, the price is being reduced bit by bit. I had a hard time asking
for the price." I should have given you this part first (keyword
part), so before giving the presentation, please explain some
important keywords. In my case, these are the important keywords.
Please explain them in Japanese language before giving the
presentation.I see there will be a lot of research volume, however, if
you properly organize the result of your research, then the ccontents
will be compact, but simple and very understandable. If you follow
this structure, then the people listening to your presentation will be
able to understand your content very well. Do you understand my
explanation?

Q: What is the difference between the conclusion and summary?

Conclusion is to give the answer of a particular question. Summing up
is just go through what you have done from the keyword to the
conclusion. A kind of repeating and reviewing what you have done, just
to freshen up the memory.

Now I am going to give two sheets of paper to each group leader. Will
the group leaders be able to finish filling in the necessary parts of
the paper and give it back to me before the 22nd of September? I will
give this type of paper in some parts each group should fill in. I
will ask the leader to fill in and finalize this group plan. The plan
of group survey using the computers. Based on this plan of group
survey, we will have announcement of group plans meeting on the 22nd.
The previous week, from the 22nd, I will contact each group to confirm
this plan of group survey, so that the announcement meeting will be
conducted smoothly. 9/16: 1, 2, 3. 9/17: 4, 5. I would like each group
leader to fill up these two sheets of documents. Based on these
shoeets, I would like to have discussion with the group leader on the
16th for groups 1, 2, and 3, and on the 17th for groups and 5. Each
group leader is required to fill up these documents before these
dates. It's not very complicated, just to clarify what the theme of
your presentation will be, and the reasons why you chose this theme.
What kind of approaches you are going to take. Who will be responsible
for the presentation of each point. Please spend twenty minutes to
thirty minutes for for each group's presentation. Each group will have
20-30 minutes for individual presentation.Please choose the specific
theme. It shouldn't be too vague a topic. But a very small, specific
question, which you think you will be able to find the answer to. So I
will give this slide in a form of a floppy to each leader, so please
fill in the necessary section. I will telephone the group leader
later.

I'd love to hear about any questions, comments, suggestions or links that you might have. Your comments will not be posted on this website immediately, but will be e-mailed to me first. You can use this form to get in touch with me, or e-mail me at [email protected] .

Page: 2004.09.15

Updated: 2004-11-2106:44:1406:44:14-0500

NOTE: ANTI-SPAM MEASURE NOW IN PLACE. Please answer the following question with the right number in order to send me your comment.